An electronic gaming system is disclosed that allows a player to play a game of knowledge, such as a trivia game, while playing a slot machine. The player can preferably use successful trivia game results to access higher reward levels with the slot machine, with each reward level having progressively higher payouts for a given winning combination or a higher probability of a winning result or both. The trivia questions are preferably stored in a question database after being obtained from a remote source, in order to ensure an adequate supply of accurate and sufficiently challenging trivia questions.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, comprising: initiating a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; receiving a response to a game of knowledge; displaying a combination of symbols as a result of a play of the slot machine game; determining the combination of symbols based on a first probability table; and if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold, determining a combination of symbols for a next play of the slot machine game based on a second probability table.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth consecutive successful play of the game of knowledge, n being a predetermined number.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth consecutive successful play of the game of knowledge in a predefined time period, n being a predetermined number.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth successful play of the game of knowledge in a predefined time period, n being a predetermined number.
5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if a predefined ratio of successful plays to unsuccessful plays in a predefined time period is satisfied.
6. A method for providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, comprising: initiating a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; receiving a response to a game of knowledge; and determining a payout based on a first payout table, and, if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold, determining a next payout based on a second payout table.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth consecutive successful play of the game of knowledge, n being a predetermined number.
8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth consecutive successful play of the game of knowledge in a predefined time period, n being a predetermined number.
9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if the successful play is an nth successful play of the game of knowledge in a predefined time period, n being a predetermined number.
10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold is satisfied if it is determined that the response corresponds to a successful play of the game of knowledge, and if a predefined ratio of successful plays to unsuccessful plays in a predefined time period is satisfied.
11. A slot machine providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, the slot machine comprising: a memory storing processor-executable program code; and a processor connected to the memory, the processor being operative with the program code to: initiate a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; receive a response to the game of knowledge; display a combination of symbols as a result of a play of the slot machine game; determine the combination of symbols based on a first probability table; and determine a combination of symbols for a next play of the slot machine game based on a second probability table if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold.
12. A slot machine providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, the slot machine comprising: a memory storing processor-executable program code; and a processor connected to the memory, the processor being operative with the program code to: initiate a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; receive a response to the game of knowledge; and determine a payout based on a first payout table, and, if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold, determine a next payout based on a second payout table.
13. An article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon, said computer-readable code means comprising: a step to initiate a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; a step to receive a response to a game of knowledge; a step to display a combination of symbols as a result of a play of the slot machine game; a step to determine the combination of symbols based on a first probability table; and a step to determine a combination of symbols for a next play of the slot machine game based on a second probability table if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold.
14. An article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon, said computer-readable code means comprising: a step to initiate a presentation to a player of spinning reels of a slot machine game; a step to receive a response to a game of knowledge; and a step to determine a payout based on a first payout table, and if the response to the game of knowledge satisfies a predefined threshold, to determine a next payout based on a second payout table.
15. A method for a slot machine providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, comprising: determining a result of a play of the slot machine game; determining whether a player succeeded in or failed in a play of the game of knowledge; and determining a payout based on the result of the slot machine game; wherein the payout is a first amount if the player succeeded in the play of the game of knowledge, and a second amount if the player failed in the play of the game of knowledge.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the payout is determined based on a first set of relationships between slot machine game results and payouts, and wherein, if the player succeeded in the play of the game of knowledge, a next payout is determined based on a second set of relationships between slot machine game results and payouts.
17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the result of the play of the slot machine game is determined based on a first set of data including slot machine game results, and wherein, if the player succeeded in the play of the game of knowledge, a result of a next play of the slot machine game is determined based on a second set of data including slot machine game results.
18. A slot machine providing a slot machine game and a game of knowledge, the slot machine comprising: a memory storing processor-executable program code; and a processor connected to the memory, the processor being operative with the program code to: determine a result of a play of the slot machine game; determine whether a player succeeded in or failed in a play of the game of knowledge; and determine a payout based on the result of the slot machine game, wherein the payout is a first amount if the player succeeded in the play of the game of knowledge, and a second amount of the player failed in the play of the game of knowledge.
19. An article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code means embodied thereon, said computer-readable code means comprising: a step to determine a result of a play of the slot machine game; a step to determine whether a player succeeded in or failed in a play of a game of knowledge; and a step to determine a payout based on the result of the slot machine game, wherein the payout is a first amount if the player succeeded in the play of the game of knowledge, and a second amount if the player failed in the play of the game of knowledge.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 15, 2000
December 18, 2001
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